


Louis Meets Harry

by an_idle_teen



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, like almost no angst really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:40:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23826217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/an_idle_teen/pseuds/an_idle_teen
Summary: Finding love can be easy, but staying in love can be pretty difficult. Especially for Louis Tomlinson. Louis is at an arcade when he meets him. The One. Harry Styles. The boy with the power to change everything.
Relationships: Gigi Hadid/Zayn Malik, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Joe Alwyn/Taylor Swift
Kudos: 2





	1. Introductions

In typical Friday night fashion, Louis and his best friend Taylor are on their way to pick up their other best friend, Niall. Niall lives only a few streets over, but it feels as if they are living in completely different worlds sometimes. Louis is gay, openly so, and his family and friends have always been supportive. Unfortunately that is not the case for Niall. He's also gay, but is firmly in the closet, at least when it comes to his strictly religious family.

Every Friday night, Taylor takes on the role of supportive girlfriend to Niall, and Louis does his best to impersonate a straight boy. Channeling his inner Chad is difficult, but Louis has been in theater forever, and it's worth it if it means Niall is allowed to come out (ha), and hang. Niall tries not to let it show, but Louis has known him forever and he knows how hard his family's beliefs hurt him. Their favorite place to get together is the communities local arcade. What gets your mind off of family homophobia better than nonstop pinball and tickets redeemable for cheap candy and stuffed animals?

Louis is at the redemption counter, arms stuffed full of tickets, trying to decide what candy he wants more tonight - airheads, or smarties - when it happens. First, he drops a shit ton of his tickets on the gross red carpet. Second, he bumps his head against someone else's as he leans down to pick them up. Thirdly, he almost chokes to death as he makes eye contact with the stranger who he bumped heads with. _Green_ , is all he can seem to think. Green eyes that he wouldn't mind getting lost in, actually. Green sneakers that are worn in, smiley faces scribbled on with sharpie, it looks like.

"I believe these are yours?" A deep voice says, chuckling when Louis takes a few seconds to stop fish-mouthing and form an actual response.

"Yeah, yup, thanks," Louis rambles on, overly aware of his heart beating erratically. He takes the tickets back, heart beating faster as their hands happen to touch. "I'm Louis, by the way," he smiles, trying to exert both sex appeal and also mystery. It's difficult, but he thinks he succeeds. He can see Taylor and Niall eyeing them from a nearby pinball machine, and is so grateful that they know enough to keep their distance even if it's killing them to do so.

"'M Harry," the beautiful stranger introduces himself, putting his hand out to shake. Louis takes it, vaguely aware that he has been waiting his whole life for this very moment. "You've got quite a lot tickets there," Harry continues, nodding his head at the huge pile of red tickets Louis has placed on the counter.

"Yeah, I come here a lot. Probably too much, y'know," Louis shrugs, smiling. "What about you? I don't think I've seen you before..." He knows he hasn't, he would never forget a boy this beautiful.

Harry shakes his head, then says "I'm new actually, only been here a week." He opens his mouth to say more, Louis' gaze drifting down to his lips, when someone interrupts.

"Harry? Let's go," a girl says, walking up and grabbing his shoulder. She's beautiful, Louis thinks, trying not to pout. She looks about their age, maybe older. She's dressed in flannel, and Louis hopes that maybe she's a lesbian.

Harry rolls his eyes, and pushes her hand off. "Sorry, that's my sister," he says, seemingly regretfully. "Maybe I'll see you around?" he asks, hovering even though it's clear that Gemma is in a rush to go.

"Definitely," Louis replies, so obviously eager that he can't help but blush. He watches them leave, and can't deny the feeling of hope that is settling over him. He likes this feeling, he wants it to stay. After a moment of staring into space, the woman at the counter sighs loudly to get his attention. "Shit, my bad! I'll take... 3 air heads, blue, and how about that little green frog?" The girl is judging him, clearly, but puts his items in a plastic bag in exchange for an unfairly high amount of tickets. The frog may or may not remind him of Harry.

~

"So, who was that kid?" Taylor asks, putting her blond hair up in a ponytail as they make their way out of the arcade.

"A mysterious stranger; he's probably come to take me away to his castle the next time we cross paths," Louis replies, smiling as Niall and Taylor roll their eyes. It's possible, he tells himself.

"Well whoever he is, he likes you," Niall decides, leaning on the trunk of Taylor's car. It's almost time to go, Niall has to be back by 11pm, but they don't want to rush. "He didn't even have any tickets to redeem, so why else would he be at the counter?" Perfect logic, Louis has to agree.

They are about to leave, Taylor is already taking her keys out of her pocket, when she stops and squeals. "Joe!" Niall and Louis sigh, knowing that this is going to take a while. Niall might just have to miss his bedtime prayers.

Joe walks over, blue eyes lighting up at the sight of Taylor. Their crushes are so painfully obvious to everyone but each other, it would seem. "Hey, love, how are you?" Taylor just blushes, fair skin going pink at Joe's use of the term 'love'. Niall and Louis gag, Louis grabbing Taylor's keys from her to rush inside the car before they're forced to hear any more mush.

They only have to wait a few minutes for Taylor to come back to them, still blushing. "Don't say anything," she warns, turning the music up before they can protest. It's already 10:50, but Niall's parents love Taylor and probably won't give him too much trouble.

Louis is sitting in the back, head pressed against the window as his mind goes crazy with thoughts of Harry. His nerves are jumbled, but in a good way. "I can't believe he's been here for a week and I've only met him now," he mumbles, mostly to himself, but also to his best friends.

"Well, maybe the universe was just waiting for the perfect time," Niall reasons.

Louis can't help but agree with him.


	2. Pining

Louis spends all of Monday morning searching for Harry, heart racing when he sees anybody with curly hair, only for it to plummet as he realizes that it's not his mysterious prince to be. _Please, let him be looking for me too_ , he prays. Louis isn't religious, not in the way that Niall and his family are, but he's not going to risk anything. Taylor and Niall promise to be lookouts for him, and although Louis is grateful for them, he is also afraid that they might force the poor boy to talk to him, not giving him any say in the matter. He just hopes that he gets to Harry first.

Unfortunately it seems that nobody can find him, and Louis swears he can feel his heart shriveling up as the hours go by. He's still searching the halls when he ends up running into his friend Gigi, head of the cheer-leading team and Homecoming Queen (again, third year in a row). She's constantly in crisis mode, and today is no different. "Thank the stars I found you, Lou, I've got a dilemma!" she all but screams, pulling him to the side. He lets himself be pulled, even though she is freakishly strong.

Louis sighs, deciding to put his own crisis to the back of his mind for a few moments. "What's up, doll?" He tries not to let his mind (and eyes) wander as Gigi goes on and on about something - homecoming related? - but it's difficult. He can't help but continue to scan the hallways, not sure what he'd do if Harry were to actually turn up, but unable to stop looking. He'd probably force himself into the nearest locker, but that's besides the point.

Eventually Gigi realizes that she doesn't have his full attention (did she ever?) and pouts. "What's gotten into you!" Her eyes follow his, perfectly plucked brows going up once she makes the connection. "Ah, okay, who is it?"

Louis blanches, unsure of how much he should share with her. Gigi means well, she always does, but she isn't the best at keeping things to herself. She was built for an audience, and can't help but share any juicy gossip that comes her way. "No one, really..." he says, refusing to say anymore despite her persistent prodding. She's about to reply, determined for more information, when she notices something over his shoulder, and glares.

He turns to look, and then instantly wishes he hadn't. Liam Payne walks by, walking faster as he realizes exactly who is staring at him. _God forbid he acknowledges me_ , Louis thinks ruefully. Liam Payne. Straight boy. Only, he wasn't straight when he and Louis were dating; he wasn't straight those nights they spent kissing up in Louis' room. When they held hands, cuddling as they watched romantic movies. Now, Liam refuses to talk to Louis, refuses to even be seen near him. He tells people that Louis tricked him, that he confused him. Sometimes Louis wonders if that's true, but he knows that it can't be. It felt real, and that's why Louis is so hurt, so confused.

"I'm sorry, babe, he sucks," Gigi sighs, frowning as he simply nods in response, not wanting to elaborate. Eventually, finally, she gets distracted by someone else, another person waiting for the famous Gigi to dazzle them, and goes on her way after giving Louis a kiss on the cheek, ever dramatic.

He's still grimacing and wiping lip gloss off his check when Taylor finds him. Before he can even open his mouth to ask, Taylor shakes her head, blond hair swishing side to side. "Sorry, boo, no luck," she says regretfully. "I do know people, that know people, that seem to know who he is, but I can't get much further than that. Joe helped me look for a while, too," she adds, rolling her eyes at Louis' knowing smirk.

As interesting as knowing someone who knows someone that knows who Harry is, it doesn't really help him. At all. Seeing the disappointed look on his face, Taylor rushes to add, "I also heard that he's into music, that might help? Don't look so crushed, he's just some guy."

Louis wants to agree with her, after all they only talked with each other for a few minutes. However, he felt something in those few minutes that he can't yet let go of, something that feels like it could last forever. No, he can't let this go. He has to find Harry.


	3. Coincidences

Louis, Taylor, and Niall are sitting together in the bleachers for the Homecoming Rally when Joe just happens to walk by, asking if he can join their group. Taylor seems unable to speak, suddenly not chatty, so Louis steps in for her. "Course you can," he says, moving over so that Joe can squeeze in between Taylor and him. Taylor looks ready to murder him. Louis, that is, not Joe. You're welcome, he thinks, and she rolls her eyes as if she knows what he's thinking. She probably does, to be fair.

Louis is glad to be of service, of course, but the awkward silence that falls upon them when Joe joins is getting hard to handle. Joe keeps turning to look to Taylor, wanting to say something, but seemingly doesn't know where to begin. Instead, he turns to Louis. "So, have you found your lover boy yet?" he asks, nudging Louis' shoulder and smirking as Niall and Taylor start to laugh.

Louis eyes' widen, terrified that somehow Harry could have heard that. He looks around, for once grateful that Harry is nowhere to be seen. "Shut up, Joe! Taylor, please control your man," he snarks, relishing in the way that they decidedly look anywhere but at each other. Louis is starting to think that maybe he made Harry up, he does have an overactive imagination, and that Taylor and the rest of them feel too bad to do anything but humor him. Maybe he should make an appointment with the school nurse, get his brain checked out.

Before anyone can answer him, the principal makes her way to the field, getting ready to start the festivities. The football players and cheerleaders start running into the fake grass, clapping and hollering ensuing as the crowd goes wild. Louis isn't sure who cheers harder, the freshman, or the seniors. Along with the sports teams, the school's band makes it's way onto the field, playing a tune that sounds a lot like We Will Rock You.

Finally, the Homecoming King and Queen make their grand debut. If possible, the crowd goes even crazier as Gigi and Zayn Malik make their way out. They are probably the school's most talked about couple; they've been on and off for years, more on than off when Homecoming Season comes along, or prom season, or any time at all really that they need to be a powerful unit. They're gorgeous together, any bisexual's dream, Louis thinks. Louis leans over to share that thought with Taylor, but stops as he sees that she and Joe are deep in conversation. Instead, he tells Niall, who completely agrees.

Suddenly Joe is nudging Louis' shoulder, practically pushing him off the uncomfortable bench. "Louis! Is that him?!" he all but shouts, pointing to someone a few rows up.

Louis' heart honest-to-God stops as he takes a deep breath, and looks. At first he's confused, doesn't quite see where Joe is pointing, but then. Then, he sees Harry. As if Harry has a sixth sense, he turns around. Looks directly at Louis, or, maybe, is looking at Joe who is making no attempt to stop his pointing. Louis needs new friends. "Put your hand down, or I'm going to kill you," he warns Joe, who rolls his eyes in response but does as he's told.

Somehow, Harry is still looking right at him, smiling. (Louis thinks he's smiling, at least, it's hard to tell from so far away.) Louis should do something, like stand up and walk over, but he's frozen. "Do something, idiot! Don't make me go get him," Taylor warns, and suddenly Louis is standing. He's pretty sure she's joking, but he's not willing to take any risks. He's vaguely aware of Gigi and Zayn making some speech, but all he can really focus on is walking in a straight line as he makes his way over to Harry. He's torn between staring directly at his feet, and directly at Harry. Either way, it's a recipe for disaster as he's not fully focused on his surroundings.

Of course, because he's Louis, he stumbles. However, because he's Louis, he stumbles directly into Harry's arms; Harry had stood up when he realized Louis was coming, watching as Louis made his way over and was ready to catch him as he fell. Louis takes a step back, out of Harry's arms, even though his body protests the sudden lack of contact. He sits down, overly aware of himself, and wills his face to stop blushing so hard. "Fancy meeting you here," Louis laughs, at the oddness of the situation, and at the way it still feels so right.

Harry smiles, sits down next to him, and pauses for a second. Finally, he says, "Hi, Lou. I've been looking for you all day." He doesn't seem to think there's anything weird about that statement, even though they barely know each other, and Louis agrees.

His hands shake as he finds his courage, and he replies. "I've been looking for you too." Harry is wearing the same green shoes he was wearing at the arcade, and they make Louis smile.

"Good," Harry says. And it is.

Louis is overwhelmed for a second, at the intensity of his feelings, the thought that they're most likely returned. It's still too soon though, he has to keep it casual. "I really like your shoes," he says instead, looking down at the faded green converses. They talk about that for a minute, and then about music, about art, about how their senior years are going. They have a lot in common, and Louis isn't surprised.

The rally is close to finishing up, and they continue to chat, both unable to put their true feelings into words just yet and both not wanting this moment to be broken. Then, Harry says "I'm so glad you found me."

Louis is glad too, and the look on his face says it all. There's something special in the air, and Louis has to ask for more before it's over. "What's your locker number?" he asks as they make their way out of the bleachers, a plan already starting to form in his mind.

"228," Harry says. "Meet me there at the end of the day?" he asks, although it's not really a question. He already knows the answer.

Louis answers anyway, "Of course," he says, already counting down the minutes. He knows that Niall and Taylor (and Joe) will be waiting for the run-down, they probably stopped watching the rally and zeroed in on Harry and Louis instead. He finds that there isn't much to say, other than the fact that he's never felt so content in his life.

One hour to go.


	4. Stop and Go

The high Louis had felt during and immediately after the rally isn't gone completely, but his AP English Lang and Comp class is definitely making it fade quicker than he would like. It's not that he doesn't like his teacher, Mrs. Tracey is a lovely lady, he just can't be expected to focus on Macbeth when his conversation with Harry is still running through his mind. He would love to fill out the multiple choice questionnaire his teacher hands out after the lecture, but every time he goes to write something down he gets distracted by the thought of Harry's smile, or his laugh. The number 228 is written on his hand in blue ink, he was sure he wouldn't forget it, but it was a nice little reminder to occasionally look at. Okay, maybe obsessively look at. In fact, it was starting to look a little smudged. 

He manages to finish up the assignment just as the bell rings, signaling the end of the school day. He's not ashamed to admit that his heart starts beating a little faster when he thinks about what will come next. He basically bolts out of the classroom, ignoring his classmates attempts to get his attention. Normally he'd love to stay and entertain everyone for a few minutes, but he's got more important things to focus on at the moment. He checks the locker closest to him, 54, and panics for a second when his brain stops working. Would 228 be upstairs? Maybe it's downstairs? Should he just keep walking down the same hallway?

Louis has finally decided: keep checking this corridor, how far can 228 be?, when somebody interrupts him. He sighs, trying not to roll his eyes too obviously as he turns to see who tapped his shoulder - Grayson Williams. Grayson is part of the school's official Event Planning Committee, and he always looks to Louis for help. "Yes, Grayson?" he asks, polite smile on his face even though he's pretty sure he already knows what Grayson wants to discuss. The school's upcoming dance, something Louis would normally be thrilled to talk about, but he's a little busy right now. He doesn't say this though, just waits for the other boy to speak. 

"I wanted to go over the upcoming dance; we still need a name, a theme, decorations! Please help, Lou," Grayson begins, voice getting higher with each word. 

Louis cringes, he understands Grayson's anxieties but really can't deal with his bad vibes right now. He needs to be chill when he meets with Harry. "Listen, Gray. You know I love you. You know this will all be okay. I'll text you later and we can come up with a plan then, kay?" he placates, speaking faster than even he is used to. He holds a finger up when Grayson looks ready to implode some more. "Chill, buddy," he pleads, smiling when Grayson finally takes a deep breath and then nods. 

"Thanks, Louis," he smiles. "You're the best!" he adds as he starts jogging in the other direction. Grayson is an odd boy, Louis thinks, but built like a fireman so it kind of evens out. 

He finally starts making his way down the hall, checking each locker number as he walks by. Dance names and themes are running through his head, he wonders how the committee would feel about a masquerade ball? Eventually he realizes that he should start checking the floor up, as he's having no luck on this floor. He's just taken a step onto the stairwell, when he's stopped again. This time, because the universe hates him, it's by Gigi and Zayn. Gigi is chatty enough on her own, but when she's with Zayn it's almost as if she feels the need to speak double her normal amount, probably to make up for the fact that Zayn is usually super quiet. 

Before he can even say anything, Gigi beats him to it. "So, babes, what'd you think? Did you love it?" she asks, clinging on to Zayn's arm. Zayn is cringing, and Louis understands why - that girl is stronger than you'd think!

For a second Louis isn't sure what exactly it is that Gigi is referring to, his brain is still jumbled from trying to find Harry's damn locker. Then it hits him: the homecoming rally. "Loved it, guys," he tries to keep his answer short and sweet, hoping it'll end their interaction quicker. He's not sure how long Harry will be willing to wait at his locker, especially for a boy he barely knows, and it's already been over ten minutes since the bell rang. 

Of course, that's not the case. Gigi loves to talk, especially if she has the chance to make it about herself. "I'm gonna need more than that, Lou. You know I need exact details, from the very moment we walked onto the field. What did you think of our matching tops? Personally, I think..." Louis zones out then, making a sound here and there so she thinks he's actively participating. He knows that she'll continue on like this for at least another five minutes. From the look on Zayn's face, he knows it too. 

Louis must look particularity desperate though, because finally Zayn interrupts. "Okay, Gi. You're boring him to death, let's go," he pleads. She opens her mouth to disagree, but he just pulls her away, shooting Louis a thumbs up when he smiles gratefully. Louis really thought he was going to die there, before ever knowing what Harry's lips felt like. That would have been a tremendous shame. He's just made it up the stairs and is about to start stalking lockers when he hears his name called. He walks faster, there's plenty of Louis' in this school, right? Never mind that he recognizes the voice saying his name, he can always send them a text later explaining why he had to dash.

Unfortunately, Joe is a fast walker. Or maybe Louis is just a slow one. Either way, he catches up with Louis in no time, a troubled look on his face. Louis can never turn away a friend, especially when they need him. He's too giving, his mom always said, and it's finally caught up with him. "What's up, Joe?" he asks, sneaking a glance at his phone. It's now been sixteen minutes, hopefully Harry has the patience of a saint. God knows Louis doesn't, no matter how kind he is.

Joe shakes his head, blue eyes clouded as he considers his problem. God, the boy is gorgeous, perfectly suited for Taylor. Coincidentally, that's what is troubling him. "This might surprise you, but I have feelings for Taylor," he pauses, giving Louis a moment to react to the news. (He tries his best to look surprised.) He must succeed, because Joe continues. "We've been hooking up for a while, all summer actually, but I want more. What should I do?"

This surprises Louis so much that he actually almost faints, not to be dramatic. How could Taylor not say anything? He thought they were best friends, but she's been keeping secrets? "What," he deadpans, still unable to form a proper thought. "Does Niall know?"

"Of course not, nobody does! That's the problem, I want it to be exclusive," Joe explains, ignoring the relieved look on Louis' face at Niall being just as in the dark as he was. "I've been thinking about saying something for a while, but I've been hearing rumors about other guys too - Jake, for instance," he scowls, the same look on Louis' face when he hears that name. If Liam had messed Louis up, then Jake had messed Taylor up even more. In fact, now that he thinks about it, she's been so much happier recently, and now he knows why. 

"Trust me, Joe, there is no else. Especially not that trash," Louis almost gags at the thought. "If you're that worried, I would just give her a little more time. She's probably just as afraid of being hurt as you are," he advises. He tries not to think about how hurt he feels, considering this affair has been going on for months and Louis had no idea. He feels so blindsided that he almost forgets about Harry. "Listen Joe, could we maybe talk about this during lunch tomorrow? I gotta meet up with lover boy." It's now been over twenty minutes, and Louis feels his chances of Harry being there getting slimmer as the seconds go by.

"Shit, sorry Lou. I'm over here rambling when you have your own problems to deal with; lunch tomorrow sounds lovely," Joe agrees, adjusting his bag over his shoulder as he starts to walk away.

"Thanks!" Louis is walking away too, only his walk is turning into more of a weird jog from his desperation to get to Harry in time. 200, 210, 220... Finally, he makes it 228. Only, he's not sure he has the right locker, considering there's nobody at it. Pathetically, he feels his eyes water a bit. He took too long, clearly. Instead of crying though, since he's almost an adult and promised himself he wouldn't cry in public anymore, he decides to get creative. He takes a random notebook out of his bag, ripping a page out. Looks like I missed you, sorry, rain check? x Louis he scribbles onto the paper, overly aware of how childish his handwriting is. Has it always looked like this? He's certainly never cared before. Before he can second guess himself, he's shoving the note into the locker. 

He starts walking away, but stops in his tracks. Liam is standing there, smiling. At him? Louis checks over his shoulder just in case, but there's no one there. He turns back, and Liam smiles again before walking away. What the hell, he thinks to himself, before shaking his head and taking his cell out. We need to talk, he writes to Taylor. About a lot of things, clearly.


	5. History

"Okay guys, here's today's topics of discussion," Louis says, nodding to where Taylor and Niall are sitting on his rug. They try to do this a few times a week, gathered up in Louis' bedroom, surrounded by snacks; they generally just discuss the day's events, cute boys, any new drama. Today, though, they have quite a bit to discuss. "I don't even know where to begin - Taylor and Joe? Her huge betrayal? My boy problems, which once again include Liam? Like, what the hell," Louis rants, pacing back and forth. He's a little over-caffeinated, over-sugared, and also just plain overwhelmed. He's a small boy, he can only handle so much. 

"How about we start with Liam?" Niall suggests, not wanting any problems between Taylor and Louis to erupt. They usually never fight, but when they do it can get ugly, and Niall is really not in the mood to mediate. He had a feeling that something was going on between Taylor and Joe anyway, when he caught her sneaking in through Joe's garden gate one night over the summer; he just knew it wasn't his place to interfere. He smiles at the grateful look Taylor shoots him.

Louis squints suspiciously, as if he knows what Niall is up to. In the end though, the Liam issue is bothering him enough that he doesn't mind. "Ugh, fine. He just - he just smiled at me! Like, twice! What the hell was that about? I thought I had the plague - the gay plague?" He stops pacing and instead drops down to the rug, squeezing himself between Niall and Taylor. He likes to face his problems face down on the ground, like a normal human being. 

That's how Taylor first met him, actually, all the way back in Kindergarten. Louis was lying on the grass outside, and Taylor thought that he might be dead. She had walked up to him slowly, sticking her leg out to daintily move his back with her foot. She screeched when he moved, and then started laughing when he did the same. They had been friends ever since, although there was that one rough month in middle school where neither of them spoke to each other; Taylor told Louis she had a crush on him, and all Louis had said was " _Gross_!" (He already knew he was gay, he just hadn't thought to share that fact with her yet). After that, they became even closer, bonding over boys and how mean they could be. 

Niall came into their lives that very same year, a timid boy who already knew there was something different with him, something that he didn't feel was wrong but that his family was openly against. Taylor and Louis were the ones who approached him, Louis swearing that he could sense something special in him. It had taken Niall some time to warm up to them and it took even longer for him to tell them his biggest secret - something he hadn't even yet admitted to himself. Of course, he was accepted with no judgment at all, and from then on the duo was an unbreakable trio. Louis and Niall had even tried dating, something that felt so wrong they had never talked about it after the fact, except when Taylor brought it up to make fun of them. 

Taylor rubs his back, thinking carefully about her next words. Louis tends to over-react, and he's already worked up. "Maybe he misses you? Would that be so bad?" Even as she's saying it, she knows that it would be. Liam wrecked Louis, and never even apologized. "Never mind, screw that, he's the _worst_ ," she groans, flopping onto her back. She sighs, knowing it's her turn to apologize. "I'm sorry Lou, that I never told you. It's just, we aren't even officially dating, you know, and I'm in love with him. Ain't that the worst thing you ever heard? So pathetic," she mutters. Sometimes she thinks Joe returns her feelings, but he's never said anything and she's afraid to be the one that says it first. She'll have him any way she can, even if she ends up getting hurt in the process. "I didn't want you guys to judge me."

"You know we would never judge you, idiot! Except for when you bleached your hair without consulting me first. I mean, it looked great, you just should've asked me first," Louis rambles, getting side-tracked. "And, y'know, I think you should take the risk. Something tells me he feels the exact same way," Louis advises. The _something_ being Joe himself, of course. 

"I gotta agree with Lou, Taylor. I think you guys are made for each other, or some shit like that," Niall says, and he sounds so sure of himself that Taylor starts getting her hopes up. She sends Joe a text, and can't keep the dorky grin off her face when she gets a reply right away. 

"Thanks guys, I love you bitches," she smiles. "Now, let's address the giant curly headed elephant in the room. Harry," she clarifies when she sees the confused looks on their faces. They're lucky they're so pretty. "So you had some rough luck, big deal. I think the letter you left was really cute. Did you give him your number?"

Oh, shit. Louis didn't even think about that. "No. I hate my life," he deadpans. "Tomorrow is just gonna be another day of looking for each other," he groans. 

"That's super romantic though, if you think about it," Taylor reasons. "You're like, the mysterious princess and he's running around looking for you, and he only has this letter to go by. Kinda sexy, when you think about it."

"Shut up, Taylor." 

"My bad."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if ur a taylor stan, ur welcome


End file.
